During a recent appearance on ‘The OGs’ podcast, Nate Robinson talked highly of Jimmy Butler. Having shared the locker room with the Heat guard during his stint with the Chicago Bulls, Robinson is well aware of things the Heat star is capable of. The host Udonis Haslem, a big brother to the Heat squad, even after retirement, also added some valuable inputs to praise the Houston-born star.
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In the podcast, Robinson boasted about his unbeatable capabilities against athletes he has played with. Naming a few of those, he remembered that Jimmy Buckets holds a strong record against him. Adding to the narrative, Robinson said, “The only person I never beat, bro, was Jimmy Butler…He was the hardest to get by and try to score on.”
Robinson added that Butler’s athleticism was too much for him to handle and he doesn’t shy away from admitting that. Haslem also said that the Heat star has all the tricks in his bag and can unleash them against any opponent, at will.
Robinson also believed that he brought out the offensively elite part of Butler’s game. He revealed the time when he used to “work out in a gym near my crib” and the guard used to call Robinson to join him in the gym. “Next thing we know, we playing one-on-one for hours,” said the three-time Slam Dunk contest winner.
The 39-year-old added that it was fun to share the locker room with Butler because that is where he realized how serious a competitor Butler is. Robinson also said that while practicing, he saw that Butler’s offensive game was incredible and he could really shoot. So, he asked the six-time All-Star to keep the same energy during games and not rely on his defense, all the time.
Jimmy Butler’s breakout season in the league
At 34 years of age, Butler has gained the reputation of a reliable player in the league. The last few years have been impressive for the Heat. However, Butler’s career took off only in 2015, when he was awarded the NBA Most Improved Player. According to StatMuse, in that season, he averaged 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals in 65 games and made his first All-Star appearance. Since then, he has made a total of six All-Star appearances with the last one being in 2022.
This season, he is averaging 20.9 points with 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in 59 games. Apart from individual accomplishments, Butler also took his team to the NBA finals twice in four years. In 2020, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, and in 2023 when the Denver Nuggets got the best of them.
There is no doubt that Butler has taken Miami places in his last few years with the franchise. However, the only thing missing from his resume is an NBA championship. As the team sits at the 8th spot in the standings, at the time of writing, it is time for the Playoff Jimmy to jersey up.
